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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24161197">The fragile workings of fate</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/astralprojects/pseuds/astralprojects'>astralprojects</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>BanG Dream! (Anime), BanG Dream! Girl's Band Party! (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/F, Mild Angst, NOT abandoned (probably) I just can't. Words., Other, Other Pasupare members are mentioned but not enough to warrant the tag, Soulmates, and by that I mean very mild. You don't even notice it's there honestly, minor tomohima - Freeform</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 20:47:31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,459</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24161197</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/astralprojects/pseuds/astralprojects</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Where does Sayo fall in the workings of fate?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Hikawa Hina/Maruyama Aya/Shirasagi Chisato/Wakamiya Eve/Yamato Maya, Hikawa Sayo/Imai Lisa/Minato Yukina</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>62</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Soulmates made for interesting love stories, especially for the outsider.</p><p>For years now, Sayo had taken silent notice of the conversations manifesting on her skin, afraid to engage herself for fear of disturbing them. Right now, the remnants of the last conversation were bland and uninteresting - her soulmates had been trading answers for a test again. They were called Lisa and Yukina apparently; Sayo liked the way their names rolled off her tongue, as if saying them was second nature. </p><p>Sayo stared at her arm boredly. Like always, each answer from Yukina's side was horribly incorrect. It was foolish to wear their blatant cheatery on their arms like a medal: were they really too shameless to wash it off?</p><p>If Sayo were ever to meet them, she would give Yukina the crucial tutoring she needed at last. Meeting them was ambitious though, wasn't it? </p><p>Truth be told, Sayo didn't feel she was needed there. They weren't even aware of her presence.</p><p>Lisa and Yukina had known each other since early childhood. Sayo hadn't, but she knew that fates worked in a delicate way, and she wasn't going to destroy that. She could tell from their interactions that they cherished each other to no end; a constant reminder being the charming and almost mocking supportive messages she got each morning, though they had never once been directed to her.</p><p>"g'morning Yukina!!!" Today's decorative writing said, accompanied by an endless string of heart and cat emojis. "I love you!!! let's do our best today!!!"</p><p>Accustomed to their usual back-and-forth, Sayo knew a formal yet heartfelt reply would come stating the same, likely followed by a few kisses and cat scribbles.</p><p>Lisa and Yukina were doing just fine on their own. Sayo wasn't needed.</p><p>Even so, she couldn't help but be charmed by the endearing encouragement on her arm that wasn't meant for her.</p><p>—————</p><p>"Hey, Sis!" Hina called out, catching Sayo's attention. "Can I talk to you for a bit?"</p><p>The statement would've been worrying if not for the fact that Hina was nearly jumping out of her skin. She had just returned back from the new job opportunity she had been hyper about the entire week, so Sayo suspected that she wouldn't be getting any alone time tonight.</p><p>"Yes. How was your day, Hina?"</p><p>"Totally super unbelievably boppin'!" she exclaimed. "You'll never believe what happened today! Y'know soulmates?"</p><p>Hina had bested Sayo in even meeting her soulmate first - and she had four of them, for crying out loud. Yet Sayo didn't feel a bit of jealousy, in spite of her thoughts earlier that day.</p><p>"Yes, Hina," Sayo perked up, an amalgamation of mild excitement and curiosity masking her voice. "What of it?"</p><p>"I met them! All four of them! Today!" Hina had given up on staying calm entirely, skipping laps around the room. "They're such boppin' people! There's Chisato-chan and Aya-chan and Eve-chan and Maya-chan! Isn't it awesome?"</p><p>"Hm, quite," Sayo claimed, tone being seeped through with delight. "I'm happy for you, Hina. I take it your day went well then?"</p><p>"Duh!" she yelled. "Aya-chan's super funny, the band got to know each other today and she kept stumbling all over her words, it was totally weird! Chisato-chan's a lot weirder though. She's an interesting one, kept telling us we can't tell other people about our soulmates since we're idols, but I've gotta tell you, right Sis? I mean, she eventually let me tell you, so it's all good! Would've told you anyway though."</p><p>Hina dropped onto the space beside Sayo roughly.</p><p>"Eve-chan is really nice and, like, really pretty! She's a model. She keeps talking about some Bushido thing though, and it's really weird and funny but interesting at the same time, y'know? She's from Finland, so Japanese isn't her first language, but she speaks so well and didn't even slip up once! Maya-chan's really friendly and smart. She got hired to help us out, but I'm gonna make sure she joins the band with Aya-chan because I wanna know more about her!"</p><p>Sayo chuckled with mirth. "I hope everything goes well, Hina."</p><p>"It will! This is so zappidy boppin'! Sis, can I have a hug?"</p><p>"Hm?" Sayo paused, confused. "Why?"</p><p>"When we were four and Mom sat us down to talk about soulmates, we promised that we'd give each other a massive hug when we met our soulmates and that we could talk about them the whole day. So can I?"</p><p>Sayo sighed, slightly amused at Hina's antics. "Go on then."</p><p>"Awesome!" Hina cheered, launching herself into Sayo. "You're the best! Hey, Sis, Sis?"</p><p>"Yes Hina?"</p><p>"Well…" Hina lifted her head up, pressing into Sayo more and trying to meet her eye. "You always wear long sleeves, like you're tryna hide the stuff on your arm. And you never talk about your soulmates. Do you talk to them? You've got at least two, right?"</p><p>"... Yes, I do," Sayo replied solemnly, hesitant to talk about the matter. "How did you know that?"</p><p>"I dunno. I just figured the universe thinks you're so awesome that it wants to give you more than one."</p><p>"I wouldn't say that, but yes. I have two."</p><p>"Oh!" Hina squealed, lifting herself off and slotting herself against Sayo's right arm. "Can I see?"</p><p>Sayo mulled it over for a moment. Watching her soulmates' lives intertwine was like watching clockwork or theatre production. She was a spectator throughout the entire show, admiring the plotline as each cog fell into place. There had been acts where one reached out for the other, tear stains that blurred the fresh ink on a canvas where the scripture had yet to settle, simple everyday delights like a lazy doodle that warmed all involved. Sayo had been a witness to all of it, to the point where she had forgotten she was supposed to be something more.</p><p>So surely letting another spectate the performance couldn't do much harm, right?</p><p>"Alright," she answered at last, pulling her sleeve up.</p><p>"Woah…" Hina watched in awe. In all honesty, Sayo didn't know what was so exciting. Sure, she had watched how magical her soulmates' connection had been as it enhanced with every passing day, but right now it was nothing if not uninteresting. Disgraceful, even. Sayo couldn't believe that their school had such a low level of discipline that it allowed them to cheat.</p><p>Hina's face fell, having read all there was to see. "Sis… How come your handwriting isn't on there?"</p><p>"I didn't have anything to say today, is all."</p><p>"No, that's not right," Hina murmured, seemingly crestfallen. "Lisachi only wrote to Yukina. If she wanted answers, she would've asked you and not Yukina because you're super smart. And this here too," she motioned to a lopsided encouragement message. "It doesn't have your name on it. You… Haven't talked to them, have you?"</p><p>There it was. Hina had always been so strangely observant, even at the worst of times.</p><p>"Don't lie to me, okay?" she offered weakly.</p><p>Sayo turned away. "Then… No, Hina. I haven't."</p><p>"Why do you always do this to yourself?" Hina inquired, more upset than it was worth. "We can talk to them right now, right?"</p><p>That was an abrupt change in the conversation, and Sayo pulled herself to her senses. </p><p>"What?"</p><p>Hina had wound herself around Sayo's arm, pen in hand and making a dent in the painting Sayo had so carefully preserved over the years.</p><p>"Hina, no, stop!" Sayo yelled, jerking her arm away and hurriedly erasing the line that had wrongly carved itself in. "Why would you do that?"</p><p>"Sis?" Hina gasped, shocked. "I… I'm sorry, I didn't think that… I'm sorry."</p><p>Sayo sighed, slinging an arm around her. "No, I'm sorry. I'm just not ready yet, Hina."</p><p>"Why haven't you said anything to them yet Sis?"</p><p>That was a good question. Why hadn't she said anything? If she said anything now, it would feel like she was an intruder. She would catch Lisa and Yukina off-guard: they might even feel betrayed or offended that she hadn't said anything sooner. But when she was younger, what had stopped her? Anxiety? Fear of failing expectations or being rejected?</p><p>"I can't tell you that," she responded calmly. </p><p>"Well, promise me that you'll say something to them sometime soon, okay? I don't want you to feel bad."</p><p>"Yeah. Sometime soon."</p><p>Listening to a deep-rooted fear she didn't recognise, Sayo didn't feel like 'sometime soon' was a time she should be in anticipation for.</p><p>—————</p><p>As the days passed, Sayo realised that she wasn't going to fulfill her promise anytime soon if this thought process continued.</p><p>What reason was there to do so? She had convinced herself that she was perfectly satisfied with just being an onlooker until it became true, and she wasn't going to undo that change to believe that she wasn't. If anything, the surplus of text she woke up to each morning was less charming and more so bothersome.</p><p>But then again, what reasons did she have to continue on as things were?</p><p>They would be surprised to find that they had another soulmate, maybe even distressed. But they would overcome that, right? They might even welcome Sayo into their lives. Unfamiliar as the notion was, it was an experience Sayo had longed to have without knowing it.</p><p>If they saw her writing, maybe they'd just think it was the partner they already have and not her. These excuses were gradually getting more and more pathetic as she invented them. Sayo wasn't a coward, she'd simply clear up any confusion, end of. Why was she still stalling for time?</p><p>Best case scenario, everything goes wonderfully and Sayo's surreptitious cogs would work alongside theirs. Worst case scenario, Sayo tears their relationship apart and shrouds herself with self-loathing the rest of her life.</p><p>No, that last part was too dramatic. Worst case scenario, her soulmates feel perplexed about their current relationship and inevitably reconcile like they always have.</p><p>Now, as for Sayo? She had never been one to go back on her word. She was doing this.</p><p>It was 6:25AM. They only wished each other a good day at around 6:30AM, and no writing had shown up on her end. There was still hope yet.</p><p>In the straightest line she could muster, Sayo formed two brief words patiently in a practical blue pen.</p><p>"Good morning."</p><p>Sayo collapsed onto and heaved out an exasperated sigh. She had done it. They would likely interpret her words as the other's for a while, but she couldn't blame them.</p><p>But how was she to drop the bombshell on them as delicately as possible?</p><p>That question was left unanswered as Sayo watched fresh curves of ink morph into words on her wrist.</p><p>"you're not usually this curt Yukina it's kinda weird!! good morning though. I'm gonna go take a shower though k? I'll meet you outside xx"</p><p>Sayo heaved another exasperated sigh and did the same, wanting to erase her failed efforts. She'd try again later today - preferably when both of them were up to see her addition.</p><p>—————</p><p>Maybe this was a bad idea.</p><p>No matter how she proceeded to do this, there wasn't a route that would leave her soulmates happy with her sudden self-reveal. At this point, Sayo was starting to believe that it would be for the best if she just stayed quiet.</p><p>Until a message came in, that is.</p><p>"you can do it!!! you're totally awesome and incredible and whatever's happening I know you can do it!!! I believe in you!!!"</p><p>There didn't seem to be a cause for the message, only a purpose for it. That was Lisa's handwriting and writing style, Sayo knew that much, and she often liked to leave positive comments at random intervals throughout the week. She had been doing it for as long as Sayo could remember; the habit had fuelled her on at her worst times. For that beautiful personality of a half-stranger, Sayo would always be grateful.</p><p>Yukina did it every once in a while too. She would always encourage Lisa with a note before each dance show, but she let a few supportive words linger on her arm every now and then, with no particular reason.</p><p>Those messages had always been professional from Yukina's side, but they got to the point in the same way Sayo would. "Devote yourself fully and use the strength I know you have." "Blaze a path towards your dream." "Chase the vision you've always longed for."</p><p>Despite neither of them knowing she existed, the messages always left Sayo with an unrivalled warmth. It was almost as if they were meant for her, as impossible as it seemed. </p><p>Right now, this dreamlike magic had turned out in her favour, spurring her forward. Sayo wasn't about to disappoint them.</p><p>The fates worked in a delicate way, and Sayo would harness their encouragement with the utmost gratitude.</p><p>Her lips lifted into a smile as the pen grazed across her skin.</p><p>"With your continuous support, I suppose I'll believe in myself too. Good afternoon, Lisa, Yukina. I am Sayo Hikawa."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>[stomps on this fic] how DARE you say there's only going to be one chapter</p><p>Uh!! Thank you for all the comments on the last chapter!! I wasn't expecting a positive response, if one at all. Kinda forgot that when you post publicly, your work becomes visible to the public. The responses made my day, thank you.</p><p>Within certain paragraphs, it may seem a little... Fast? But I've done my best to rectify that, so I hope it doesn't show.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Yukina had momentarily forgotten how to breathe.</p><p>Standing dumbfounded in the middle of her bedroom, she merely existed as she stared at the paragraph on her skin. There was no anger. No tears, no running, no yelling. Just a total loss of knowledge.</p><p>How was she supposed to react to this? How long had that been there? She had another soulmate? If so, why didn't they say anything sooner? If they had been waiting for a long time, were they anxious?</p><p>Her mind was pounding right now with an intensity it hadn't since her and Lisa discovered their connection as children. Each question was burning, scorching her with trepidation and curiosity she was too shocked to experience a second ago.</p><p>Yukina stared blankly at nothing in particular. For once, going to Lisa might not be the best decision. Not when she couldn't even form coherent thoughts.</p><p>Whether Yukina told Lisa or not, it was only a matter of minutes until Lisa discovered this herself. Perhaps seconds. How would Lisa take this? If her reaction were to accord to Yukina's knowledge, Lisa would welcome her with open arms after hurriedly overcoming the initial surprise, but dropped into a situation like this one, even that prediction had lost its stability. As for Yukina, she herself didn't even know how she felt about this.</p><p>Sayo Hikawa… That surname sounded familiar. Where had she heard it before? Once in a long-forgotten dream, maybe. Right now, Yukina's internal turmoil was neither a dream nor a nightmare: it was her reality. And that was that.</p><p>She had another soulmate. That wasn't a problem, she supposed. But the way she treats this new development might be.</p><p>Yukina had to reply. It didn't matter how she felt, it didn't matter how she and Lisa dealt with this, it didn't even matter if she hadn't fully processed this yet - nothing mattered but letting Sayo know that she wasn't unwanted.</p><p>Scrambling for a stray pen on her minefield of a desk, Yukina mulled it over. What would suffice? A simple greeting was out of the question, and she wouldn't leave those foreign words unanswered. Yukina couldn't introduce herself: Sayo already knew who she was.</p><p>Responding could be futile, especially if she had nothing of worth to say. Regardless of if Yukina knew her or not, Sayo - whoever Sayo was - deserved a message of the best quality she could offer. But what type of message would appease a practical stranger?</p><p>Without knowing it, Yukina had gnawed onto the end of her pen until the ink encased within it threatened to flood over and reply to Sayo for her. Maybe she should just take the hint and etch something she wouldn't remember into the timeline on her arm.</p><p>In a flash of courage, Yukina analysed the passage on her arm and finally recognised what it was she felt. Joy, shock, fear, hesitance, and worry. So, so much worry.</p><p>But feelings had no place in her life, and that claim had to live up to expectations before she risked losing the second key-holder to her soul.</p><p>"Hello, Sayo."</p><p>Time shrinked away, exhaustion emerged, and Yukina didn't realise how much she had toiled away on writing until she overstepped her share of space.</p><p>She pulled her pen away, tugged at her clothes, and revealed an impressive amount of coverage that could make any graffiti artist jealous. All her masterpiece needed was for Lisa to complete it. </p><p>Had she stumbled upon Sayo’s message yet? Even with the relief having set in of finally forming a response, Yukina was in no way fit to explain the situation to her. She just hoped that Lisa would answer Sayo soon. </p><p>"If I'm going to be perfectly honest, I'm at a loss for words right now, but please know that I bear no ill-will towards you at all. You aren't unwanted in even the slightest, so please don't think so. I apologise for how long it took to reply."</p><p>The chain of emotion snaked over to the other side of her arm, and Yukina followed it with the utmost of concentration.</p><p>"How much did you think about what to say? I thought a lot, but that's all been thrown out of the window, so I'm writing whatever comes to mind. None of it will be malicious, I assure you."</p><p>Yukina shifted her gaze to the opposite arm. Now was not a good time to find out that she wasn't ambidextrous - not at all. It would be a miracle if Sayo could even read this.</p><p>"I assume you've learnt a lot about the both of us over the years? It's almost embarrassing. I never let anyone know about my, er… Predilection for cats willingly, so you'll have to divulge a dark secret of yours in return. I'll be waiting."</p><p>It was a mystery how Yukina continued onto her thigh whilst wearing trousers, but it wasn't one to be solved right now.</p><p>"Your surname sounds familiar. Is it common, or famous? I can't understand why you didn't say something sooner, but I'm not at odds with you for it. Write back soon."</p><p>The sound of seven bed springs breaking simultaneously was not one to be trifled with. Write back soon? What were they, pen pals? </p><p>Spilling her thoughts freely like that on pure impulse wasn't a familiar concept to Yukina. But with new experiences came new outcomes; Yukina simply let out an exasperated groan and hoped this experience wouldn't be issued out to her again.</p><p>The question was, why did Sayo hide from them? And why did that make her feel so… Strange?</p><hr/><p>Gossip had always been a poor influence, but an interesting topic to chat about. In the current moment, Lisa couldn't stop thinking about it in an attempt to distract herself.</p><p>She knew it all too well: her, Himari, and Aya would huddle around a table or bed and discuss to their heart's content. They never did so with bad intentions - just a childish fascination.</p><p>There were always more stories and rumours to tell. Some about them, others not, but all were related to the topic of romance considering one thing.</p><p>Love, romance, and soulmates were inseparable from gossip, meaning that Lisa had a constant influx of updates about it. If anyone was to be prepared and unsurprised by soulmate matters, it was her.</p><p>She had so much knowledge on the subject, so many tales to tell. Even so, hers just wasn’t compatible.</p><p>Lisa closed her eyes and thought back to something Aya had confessed long ago, hoping to gain some wisdom.</p><p>During a late night ramble once, Aya had admitted to having four soulmates; Lisa and Himari listened with great enthusiasm. There was Eve, Maya, Hina, and Chisato. Her, Eve, and Hina chattered with each other to no end. Maya joined in too, but she spoke a lot less than them. As for Chisato… The only evidence that she was there was a stream of excited conversations when they were very, very young. That flow was abated in an unwanted sacrifice by age ten.</p><p>Chisato was a child actress - she had been since an early age. Despite her schedule, she always made time to write to her soulmates, regardless of what state her life was in.</p><p>Chisato loved talking with her soulmates. Her agency didn't.</p><p>Aya told them that her agency disapproved of romance, especially in that line of work, even with Chisato only being a child. Chisato hid herself away sometimes to form some rare communication before her parents found out, until one day, she suddenly stopped.</p><p>It was unfair, foolish, and endlessly ridiculous. If the film agency regarded a ten year-old making contact with her soulmates as 'romancing', was that her fault?</p><p>But no-one listened to the opinions of a child, and eventually Chisato was made to believe the same thing. Diving into romance and scandals was too improper for her profession.</p><p>Aya provided their private group chat with a horde of information around a week ago, explaining how the rules of Chisato’s old agency were long since outdated, but the habit stuck without being enforced. While idols weren’t allowed flings and actors were dissuaded from them, soulmate connections were an eager exception, so Chisato wasn’t exactly prohibited from making contact anymore. On the other hand, she was dedicated and stubborn, so much so that it deceived her.</p><p>If Chisato had a reason not to write to her soulmates, then Lisa was sure that Sayo had one too. That reason wouldn’t apply to why Sayo had never said a single word to them before, though.</p><p>Lisa decided that she would always do her best to understand, no matter how trivial the issue was. But taking offense was betraying understanding, and Lisa wasn’t sure if she had the energy to fight against being fickle.</p><p>She shouldn’t have been going off on a tangent. Lisa would forgive Sayo, of course she would, but she needed to clear her head first and recall another truth to draw from.</p><p>Aya’s story was slightly more complex than others. Himari, however, had a basic story with her soulmate. Her and Tomoe had met during their childhood, not unlike Lisa and Yukina. Being only children, they obviously didn't start dating, but planned to when they became older.</p><p>That plan was a lot more difficult than it seemed.</p><p>After being perfectly platonic with the other for so long, it was hard to change those interactions to be more romantic. Often, Himari felt that she was running into a brick wall. Nothing stopped her and Tomoe from dating each other but old habits; however, they were resolved in due time, and Himari relaxed upon the change in their relationship growing more comfortable.</p><p>Lisa recalled her and Yukina going through a similar thing, though it was nothing they couldn't overcome. This would most likely take a lot more effort.</p><p>In all her years of gossiping, Lisa had never quite seen a situation similar to this one. A third soulmate that had lurked between Lisa and Yukina their entire lives - and they were none the wiser.</p><p>If such a situation was unheard of, then who could Lisa run to in order to be understood? Yukina would be just as lost as she was, so there was no use in fleeing to her this time.</p><p>No-one else’s story could match theirs, and Lisa felt somewhat thankful for that. There was so much shock and anxiety associated with such a discovery that it was almost debilitating.</p><p>Lisa's glare bored into the message on her arm helplessly, only to see familiar blotches of black merge into reassurance right under it. Yukina had received Sayo's presence, obviously much better than Lisa had. She felt a tinge of jealousy at that.</p><p>Why? Why was Lisa of all people, someone supposed to be selfless, endlessly understanding, ever so kind, being so selfish in this moment? </p><p>Sayo Hikawa. The name filled her with excitement, quickly banished by pure dread. </p><p>It was when Sayo's name didn't bring a particular set of feelings to her chest that Lisa realised how little she had to base an impression of her off of. Sayo's handwriting looked and sounded like it was pulled straight from a textbook, showing no emotion, though it was evident that she was polite. But how polite was it to have said nothing over all these years? To learn every little detail and piece of information about her and Yukina, and offer nothing in return?</p><p>Sayo must have had a reason for her silence, Lisa knew that, but knowing wasn't synonymous with believing. Dropped clumsily into an almost fictional panic-inducing situation like this one, what was she even supposed to believe in?</p><p>The pen wavered over a textless portion of Lisa's skin; she wasn't sure when she grabbed it, nor why. That pen held so much sentimental value to her - it possessed the memory of each written sentence shared between her, Yukina, and apparently Sayo.</p><p>(The thought led an oddly specific taste to the tip of her tongue, but Lisa couldn't figure out how to process it properly.)</p><p>That pen was about to rewrite the story carved out for them, and Lisa… Well, Lisa wasn't prepared enough to inflict such a forceful impact on her play just yet.</p><p>Upon further inspection, she realised the ink had finished being forged into a new, spontaneous chapter of their play against her will. Yukina had completed a reply. Her move was impulsive, messy, hardly legible or controlled, but it was driven. It wasn't something Lisa expected to happen so soon, or before her own decision, but it was admirably bold, she had to give Yukina that. </p><p>Here Yukina was, the wonderful soulmate and companion she knew so much about, summoning up all of her courage to be strong in the face of everything. As for Lisa, what was she if not a coward?</p><p>Lisa placed her pen down on a cabinet adjacent to her gently, as if it were fragile and on the verge of breaking like she was. Her eyes shut tight, vision tossed aside like her utensil, playing at a childish game of 'if you can't see me, I can't see you' to salvage whatever control she had of her emotions left.</p><p>Tears stung her eyes fiercely, forming with deliberate ignorance to her pleas instructing them not to. Sayo displayed courage when she wrote to them in spite of the fear she must have held, Yukina emulated her in that aspect, and as for Lisa?</p><p>Her body shook with poorly masked sobs as she came to a dreadful yet inevitable conclusion: Lisa was afraid.</p><p>And that wasn't something she could will away when the morning came.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>For my sake, pretend I knew what I was getting into when I wrote Lisa's reaction.</p><p>Please tell me if the characterisations seem off.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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